Franzine Ndimande
Joyce Ndimande
 

Joyce Ndimande
  
 

 

  

 

 

We are talking with Joyce Ndimande, daughter of Franzine Ndimande.

  
   
PJ:
 Joyce could you please tell us a little bit about the Ndebele culture and why art plays such an important part in the culture here.  
JN:

 

In terms of the patterns which are here, they are part of our ancestors, which our mother taught us to make, and most of this work is being done by the women, they were looking after the kids at home, preparing food for the children at home while the men were outside hunting, that is why most of the women know how to do these designs.

 

  
CE:
 Do these designs have a particular meaning ?  
JN:

 

They don't have a special meaning, but if you just do view it, you can have your own meaning.

 

  
CE:
 Do you sketch something out, think about what you want to paint?  
JN:

 

You just go straight to the wall and start painting, you don't sketch it out.

 

  
J-P:
 You paint the wall in white first, right.  
JN:

 

Yes .

 

  

JP:

 So that's the start  
JN :

 

Because most of the wall needs a white paint.

 

  
JP:
 Do you start at the top or the bottom?  
JN:

 

It really doesn't matter , but most of us start on the bottom and when the paint falls, you can guard it.

 

  
PJ:
Your mother, along with your sister have had the opportunity to travel to Berlin and Brazil because of their work, this work is very rich to the heritage of the Ndebele's, this style is very unique to South Africa ,it is not just thrown together . Are you aware of any other tribes here in Southern Africa that work along the same lines as the Ndebele with patterns?  
JN:

 

There are other tribes , they have their own style it is different from the Ndebele style

 

  
PJ:
 I Understand that The Ndebele culture has a King.  
JN:

 

Yes we do have a King.

 

  
JP:
 We have a King too.  
JN:

 

It's difficult to talk about the King for me. (Joyce shifts around on her chair a bit)

 

  
PJ:
 How do the Ndebele's support themselves, do you work at a job to get the money to get the paint to ..,do you make the beads to sell to get them paint.?  
JN:

 

We make the beads and sell them, then we proceed.

 

  
CE:
 Fanzine taught you and your sister , how to paint and do the beadwork, how old were you ?  
JN:

 

When I was growing up we found our mom doing this wall painting, she used to call us and say Òdo this partÓ, we didn't know how to do it , maybe at the age of ten or twelve.

 

  
JP:
 All of the sisters paint  
JN:

 

Yes

 

  
PJ:
Since you have a lot of international attention , other people come here, could you share some of your thoughts on the people who come here.  
JN:

 

We have different people from France, Germany ,Brazil ,Canada, United States, Japan, China , Taiwan, even Denmark.

 

  
JP:
Why do you think they come here?  
JN:

 

They say that our art is so attractive, and sometimes they want us to explain the meaning of each and every design, and it is difficult for us because it has no meaning, and they always ask us about the colours .

 

  
PJ:
How long has this tradition been passed down, hundreds of years?  
JN:

 

More than that, but these ostrich eggs, and stuff like that, (she points to a table filled with beadwork and trinkets) it's not more than a hundred years. It's just because most of the people like this, and then they decide to bring something else here to paint, just like the wall .